MoD builds Afghan village in Norfolk

An Afghan village with a mosque, markets and suicide bombers has been unveiled
by the Ministry of Defence - in the middle of Norfolk.

Opening of new MOD Middle Eastern training facilities at Stanta in Thetford Forest, Norfolk which consist of a rural village and urban complex designed by OPTAG to train troops heading to AfghanistanPhoto: ALBANPIX

11:44AM BST 01 May 2009

The MoD has spent £14million building a replica Middle East settlement at Bridge Carr in the Stanford Training Area, near Thetford.

Houses are arranged around a traditional courtyard and vegetable patch and the village is populated by volunteers dressed as insurgents in traditional Taliban robes.

Islamic calls to prayer ring out from the mosque and the dusty streets are strewn with motorbikes, tyres and carts.

The smell of food cooked by the villagers wafts through the streets and synthetic aromas, such as rotten meat, are pumped out.

Designed to re-create conditions in Afghanistan, the village has been built on a 30,000 acre live fire site which covers two per cent of Norfolk.

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The area was originally a replica Nazi village built in 1942 and has previously been transformed to resemble settlements in Northern Ireland and Bosnia.

Every British soldier sent to Afghanistan - an estimated 11,000 a year - will train at the facility.

Lt Col Simon Lloyd, Commander of the Defence Training Estates for the Eastern region, believes the camp gives soldiers the best possible training.

He said: "The place is magnificent. I've served in the Middle East and the likeness is uncanny. We've sourced props from all over the world.

"We've replicated everything but the heat as there's not much we can do about that in Norfolk.

"Every soldier that goes on active duty in Afghanistan, and some headed for Iraq, will come through our camp.

"It will make the shock of going to war much less and prepare a soldier to the very best of their ability."

The 12.5 acre village is arranged around 25 concrete-clad compounds with between four and 12 homes in each arranged around a courtyard with a vegetable patch, a well and a washing line.

All the homes are decorated with rugs and pots and pans, and shops are open selling rice, kaftans and flip flops.

The MoD employs Gurkhas who have done active service for the British and amputees from the charity Amputees for Action, to act as villagers, insurgents and injured soldiers.

Lt Col Lloyd added: "I believe the new village gives us the best equipped training site in the UK. We're very proud. I can't fault it."

The troops will encounter every possible scenario at the village - from peace and quiet to suicide bombs.

At one juncture the soldiers will round a corner to find a person caught in a bomb blast with missing limbs.

Lt Col Lloyd said the idea was to ensure soldiers are used to such sights so they get on with saving lives, rather than reacting, when faced with the a real situation.

Work started on the camp in December.

The first troops to experience the meticulous level of detail, 11 Brigade, are set to arrive in two weeks' time. They are bound for Afghanistan.

General Sir David Richards, Commander in Chief Land Forces, praised the camp.

He said: "These new training facilities mean that we will be giving our soldiers the very best chance to succeed in today's complex operations and return home safely.

"We need to provide as realistic an environment as we can for our excellent fighting soldiers.

"They need to operate from the same type of place that they will use in Afghanistan and be put to the test in as realistic a manner as we can devise. They deserve nothing less.

"Training on these facilities will ensure that UK military personnel will continue to be trained to the highest possible standard prior to active duty."

Ian Levett of Natural England said they have worked alongside the MoD to ensure it did not disrupt wildlife.

He added: "Natural England has worked in close partnership with the Military on this project to ensure that they have been able to fulfil their responsibilities towards nature conservation at the same time as providing their training needs.

"This is a very special area for wildlife and it is a tribute to the Defence Training Estate that the natural environment has been given the prominence it has, alongside the training requirements."